thundercloud

American  

[thuhn-der-kloud] / ˈθʌn dərˌklaʊd /

Or thunderclouds

noun

1. cumulonimbus.

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thundercloud British  

/ ˈθʌndəˌklaʊd /

noun

1. a towering electrically charged cumulonimbus cloud associated with thunderstorms

2. anything that is threatening

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thundercloud Scientific  

/ thŭn′dər-kloud′ /

1. See cumulonimbus

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Etymology

Origin of thundercloud

First recorded in 1690–1700; thunder + cloud

Example Sentences

A honeybee swarm has as much electric charge as a thundercloud, and the insects’ mass movements in the atmosphere might even have some influence on the weather.

From Scientific American • Sep. 13, 2023

A thundercloud of media interest has hung over claims of a strained brotherly relationship, now conducted from different sides of the Atlantic.

From BBC • Sep. 14, 2022

Jamie D. Ramsay’s cinematography casts a sullen thundercloud over exterior and interior shots alike, a child’s party balloons in one early scene appearing filled not with helium but with foreboding.

From New York Times • Jul. 14, 2022

A single unexpected bolt from a rogue thundercloud can be just as deadly to an individual, or as damaging to a property, as hundreds from a complex of storms.

From Washington Post • Apr. 19, 2022

When Mr Wormwood arrived back from the garage that evening his face was as dark as a thundercloud and somebody was clearly for the high-jump pretty soon.

From "Matilda" by Roald Dahl